Volcanic ash grounds flights for third day
Millions of people faced worsening travel chaos yesterday as a volcanic ash cloud from Iceland, which risks lingering over Europe for up to five more days, forced countries to extend flight bans.
Britain, Denmark and Germany lengthened bans on most flights in their airspace until 0000 GMT Sunday in the wake of the ash cloud that has caused the biggest airspace shutdown since World War II.
Winds blowing the massive cloud eastward from Iceland to Russia will continue in the same direction for at least two days and could go on until the middle of next week, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said on Saturday.
Ireland reimposed flight bans over its airspace until at least 1700 GMT on Saturday, while Austria, Belgium, France and Switzerland said they would allow no flights until 1800 GMT.
Poland said it was shutting its airspace "until further notice".
The closure of Poland's airspace has thrown into doubt the attendance of world leaders including US President Barack Obama, due in the southern city of Krakow on Sunday for the burial of president Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria.
The Kaczynski couple were among 96 people, most of them Polish dignitaries, killed in a plane crash in Russia last Saturday on their way to a World War II memorial service.
Some 16,000 flights in European airspace on Saturday have been cancelled due to the cloud of volcanic ash, said Eurocontrol, which coordinates air traffic control in 38 nations.
Whereas a normal Saturday would see 22,000 flights in Europe, Eurocontrol said only about 6,000 would be operating -- and out of a routine 300-odd incoming transatlantic flights, a mere 73 had so far arrived.
The drifting dust had already forced the cancellation of about 16,000 flights on Friday.
The volcano on the Eyjafjallajokull glacier erupted on Wednesday, sending ash drifting towards Europe at an altitude of about eight to 10 kilometres (five to six miles).
British weather forecast service the Met Office indicated that "the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland was moving around and changing shape", Britain's National Air Traffic Services (NATS) said in a statement.
NATS added that "restrictions currently in place across UK controlled airspace will remain in place until at least 0100 UK time tomorrow".
Europe's three biggest airports -- Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Frankfurt -- were closed Saturday, leaving passengers stranded across the world as a global flight backlog built up.
An official for the Eurostar Channel tunnel rail service reported thousands more passengers than normal were set to travel on its trains between London and the continent on Saturday.
Justifying the widespread airport closures aviation officials have explained that airplane engines could become clogged up and stop working if they tried to fly through the ash.
In the past 20 years, there have been 80 recorded encounters between aircraft and volcanic clouds, causing the near-loss of two Boeing 747s with almost 500 people on board and damage to 20 other planes, experts said.
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